Social media likes worry you? You're not alone

Dubai - The research, from Kasperky Lab, also shows that as many as 41 per cent of people in the UAE admit to feeling envious when they see the seemingly happier lives on social media.

 Have you ever felt upset when a post on social media doesn't get as many "likes" as you'd like? You aren't alone. New research shows that a majority of people feel upset when their friends get more likes than them.
"Our relationship with social media has developed into a vicious cycle. We want to go onto our favourite social platforms to tell all of our connections about the positive things we are doing - that makes us feel good," said Evgeny Chereshnev, head of Social Media at Kaspersky Lab.
"But the reality is that everyone is doing the same thing, so when we log onto social media we are bombarded with images and posts of our friends having fun. And it looks like they're enjoying life more than us.
"It's easy to see why this is leaving people feeling down and why so many people have considered leaving social media altogether.
"The difficulty is that people feel trapped because so many of their precious memories have been stored on social media and they don't want to lose access to these." 
The research, from Kasperky Lab, also shows that as many as 41 per cent of people in the UAE admit to feeling envious when they see the seemingly happier lives on social media.
The survey, which queried 16,750 worldwide, has found that 79 per cent of users in the UAE use social networks to stay in touch with friends and colleagues and 73 per cent log in to see entertaining and funny posts.
Additionally, many people devote significant amounts of time to their digital profile and posting positive moments, with 77 per cent saying they post things that make them smile and 52 per cent using social networks to tell their followers about positive experiences of holidays and vacations.
But many people also voiced frustrations, with 76 per cent of UAE users saying they are annoyed by intrusive advertising, and 65 per cent admitting to feelings of unhappiness stemming from friends' posts from parties that they weren't invited to.
Another 51 per cent noted that their friends holiday pictures have had a "negative influence" on them, and 44 per cent saying that seeing previous happy posts of themselves leave them with a feeling that their own past was better than their present.
Previous research has also demonstrated peoples' frustration with social media as 78 per cent globally admitted that they have considered leaving social networks altogether.
The only thing that makes people stay on social media is the fear of losing their digital memories, such as photos, and contacts with their friends.
 Findings of survey on social media habits
41% people in the UAE admit to feeling envious when they see seemingly happier lives on social media
 79% people in the UAE use social networks to stay in touch with friends and colleagues
51% noted that their friends holiday pictures have had a 'negative influence' on them
65% admit to feelings of unhappiness stemming from friends' posts.
78% globally admitted that they have considered leaving social networks altogether
reporters@khaleejtimes.com